Apparatus for evaporating distillers&#39; residues.



Patented nec. v3o, |902'.

J. M. J. THIERRY. APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATINGDISTILLERS RESIDUES..

(Applicatiun Bled Oct. 8, 1901.)

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J. M. J. THIERRY.

APPARATUS FOR EVAPDRATING DISTILLERS RESIDUES.

(Application led Oct. 8` 1901.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Patentedec. 30, |902.

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Patented Dec. 30, |902. J. M. J. THIERRY.

APPARATUS FR EVAPORATING DISTILLEBS RESIDUES.

(Application filed Oct. 8, 1901.)

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JEAN MICHEL JOSEPH THIERRY, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES GABRIEL SUDRE AND CHARLES VICTOR THIERRY, OF

PARIS, FRANCE.

APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING DISTILLERS RESIDUES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,054, dated December 30, 1902. Application filed October 8, 1901. Serial No. 78,009. (No model.)

T0 ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEAN MICHEL JOSEPH THIERRY, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Paris, in the department of the Seine, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Use in the Treatment of the Residues of Distilleries, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved apparatus for carrying out the process of treating the residues of distilleries with a view to the extracting from such washes or residues products-such as glycerin,tars, salts, and nitrogenous matters-forming the subjects-matter of the applications, Serial No. 28,435, dated August 20, 1900, and Serial No. 47,840, dated February 18, 1901, and has for its object to simplify and improve the construction of the apparatus described in said applicatiomSerial No. 47,840, of February 18, 1901.

The essential improvement which embraces the improvements in details consists in spreading the wash in a thin layer on the interna-l face of the wall of the vessel or receptacle in which the treatment takes place instead of spreading the concentrated Wash in a thin layer on one or more substantially horizontal plane surfaces heated by the circulation of a heating fluid, the said Wash being eventually mixed with lime or neutralized.

The apparatus may generally be described as follows: The vessel or receptacle consists of a vertical cylindrical or conical body with a suitable bottom and a cover. The wash is spread in a thin layer on the internal face of the cylindrical or conical wall of the vessel by one o1' more rotatable distributor-arms, the spouts of which are vertical, and the wash is removed after treatment by Scrapers, also vertical. The syrupy consistency or viscosity of the concentrated wash allows the latter to adhere to a wall even vertical without it having time to flow the length of said wall by the action of gravity beforeits treatment is finished, as under these conditions it is therefore only a question of heating the wall 0f the vessel itself where the treatment takes place. desired, in a much more simple manner than in the apparatus with plates. Besides, the

This heating may be done, if-

whole construction becomes much more siniple and more compact where there is equal heating-surface or useful surface, as will be shownby the description which follows.

In order to clearly show in what my improvements consist, I annex hereunto drawings, the scale of which is variable, and ou which I have represented several ways of constructing the apparatus embodying my improvements, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of the whole apparatus in one form. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a second form, but showing only the body of the vessel without either its cover or distribution mechanism. Fig. 3 isaschematic vertical section of a third modification. Fig. 4 is a similar View of a fourth form. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5 5, Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a detail of the spout and the scraper, and Fig. 7 is a vertical section relating to another modification.

Referring to Fig. 1, the apparatus consists of a vertical vessel A, the body of which is vertical, or, more correctly, slightly conical, narrowing toward the base, for reasons which Iwillhereinafterexplain. ThisvesselAcomprises a bottom a, with a neck ct to be connected by a suitable conduit to the pump for emptying the apparatus of disengaged gases and a neck a2 for the withdrawal of the residue from the dry distillation to which the wash is subjected in the apparatus. The extremity of the neck a' forms a projection at a3 in the interior of the vessel, so that its bottom constitutes an annular trough into which the residues fall and from whence they are withdrawn by the neck a2 by means of a rotating brush. The vessel A is placed on a masonry foundation B or on any other suitable structure so as to leave around the body an empty annular space or iue b. The lateral wall of the vessel A and also the bottom may be heated either by heated gases circulating in the flue Z7 b or by rows of gas-burners or in any other suitable manner. The vessel A is hermetically closed at the top by a cover C. The wash to be treated enters the apparatus by a conduit D. This conduit is formed by a fixed part and a rotatable part connected by a stuffing-box d. The rotatable part D of the conduit is vertical and penetrates into the vessel A, across the cover C, by a second stuffing-box c, cast with the cover and cooled by the water-jacket E. The vertical rotatable part D of the entrance-conduit for the wash is thus properly directed by the stuffing-boxes c d. It comprises a hollow shaft capable of turning under the effect of some suitable controlling mechanism-for example, an endless Io screw F, gearing with a wheel d', fastened to this hollow shaft. The rotatable hollow shaft D', serving as the entrance for the wash, terminates at the bottom in the vessel A by one or more radial vertical spouts G, (two being shown in Figs. l and 5 dianietrically opposite each other,) discharging the wash through an opening therein upon the internal wall of the vessel A. I will hereinafter refer to the details of the construction of these distributingspouts. At its lower extremity the shaft D/ carries one or more brushes H, which pick up the residues falling in the trough t and withdrawthefsame b v the neck a2. The rotatable shaft D', which is inv the axis of the vessel, should be capable of regulation in an axial direction. Anysuitablearrangementmaybe used for this purpose-for example, that indicated in Fig. l, consisting of a ring or screw K, on which rests the vertical shaft D' by means of a shoulder k. This ring or screw K may when itis desired to turn it be raised or lowered in the screw -threaded cover 7e of the water-jacket E, which is a fixed part. As I have stated, the peripheral wall of the VesselA is slightly conical, so that in raising and lowering the shaft D, and consequently the spouts G, the play between the spouts and said wall can be regulated. The construction of the spouts is best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Their form is such, Fig. 5, that the wash coming from the hollow shaft D' is obliged to pass between two vertical plates g g', cast with the body of the shaft D, and to go out by a small opening g2 to be spread at 45 g3 on the innerwall of the vessel A. The inserted blades g4 g5, shown, respectively, on the plates g gin such away as to be adjusted, permit for a given position of the shaft D of these blades g1 g5 being arranged in such a way that. the first one, that placed in front if the direction of rotation is that of the arrow fc, will be in contact with the inner wall of the vessel A the length of a generatrix, while the other, g5, will be to a certain extent capable of regulation, forming an opening the size of which will determine (all other things being equal, and especially the pressure on t'he wash and the speed of rot-ation of the shaft) the thickness of the layer g3. The shaft D being capable of adjustment in an axial direction, one might even make up for the wear of the blade g4 without displacing it with relation to the plate g. On the distributing-shaft is fixed in front of each spout a blade M, forming a scraper, Fig. 5, to be adjusted by vmeans of the fixed guides m and inclined with relation to the axis of the shaft D in such a way that its edge makes contact the length of a generatrix with the inner wall of the vessel A to free said wall of the residue left on it by the layer of wash spread in the preceding turn and offering to the spout,which immediately follows the scraper, a clean surface on which to spread anew layer of wash. The openings g2 being capable of becoming choked, the apparatus may be provided with arod N, Figs. 1,5,and 6,which is operated from the exterior by a handle n and which passes into the hollow shaft D', being guided in any suitable manner, and the lower end of which carries branches n n', the point of which penetrates into the opening g2 of each spout. Byraising and lowering the rod N one can thus easily clean the openings without taking any of the members apart. rated tube P, Fig. 1, allows of the injection of superheated steam into the apparatus to facilitate the disengagement of glycerin.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is in all points similar to that shown in Fig. l, except that the heating of the wall of the vessel A instead of being directly by the heated gases or dame takes place through the medium of a suitableliquid surrounding thiswall. For this purpose the vessel A is cast with a double envelop. The annular space Y is filled with a suitable liquid, such as a mineral oil. The vessel A is thus heated in a liquid-bath, which gives a more regular and uniform distribution of the heat on all the useful walls of the vessel, or else the liquid can circulate in the space Y, and then the furnace for heating this liquid may be placed at any suitable point of the circuit. Tubes y and y serve for the entrance and the exit of the liquid.

The characteristics of the apparatus represented in Fig. 3 are as follows: The conicity of the periphery ofthe vessel A is much greater than in the preceding cases. In the drawing it is about forty-five degrees. In this way and by giving to the spouts the conresponding form, as well as by employing three or a greater number of spouts and sera-pers,

An annular perfo- IOO IIO

one can allow the central distributing-shaft 4to bear directly with the Scrapers on the wall A, which thus serves asa guide for the same. Besides, one is always sure that the Scrapers and spouts are in good contact with the wall A. Besides, the hollow shaft D is only prolonged up above into a fixed box R, where the wash is brought by the conduit S. y It enters the hollow rotatable shaft by openings r. The shaft is closed on top and is prolonged from there by a small solid shaft D2, which carries the operating means d. The box R and the stufng-box are cooled by a reservoir E, having a water circulation.

In Fig. 4E I have shown an apparatus in which the radial spouts G are each provided outside and inside with distribution-openings for the Wash, which they spread on the two concentric walls A A of the vessel, leaving between them an annular space in which the spouts turn and forming belowatrough,where the residues which are scraped by the scrapers are collected.

Finally in Fig. 7 I have shown a modification in which the Withdrawal by a pump of the disengaged gases takes place at the top by a lateral nozzle t, While the bottom of the vessel is conical, forming a funnel in which the solid residues fall and from whence they are withdrawn.

A valve fu orany other equivalent arrangement permits the apparatus to be closed hermetically.

Without limiting myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth, I claim, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, the fol lowing:

1. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or Wash, the combination of a heated vessel, means for spreading a thin layer of the wash on the Walls of said vessel, and means for subsequently removing the layer of Wash, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers7 spent residues or Wash, the combination of a substantially vertical vessel, means for externally heating the vessel, means extending Within the vessel for spreading a thin layer of the syrupous and plastic Wash upon the interior surfaces of the Walls of said vessel, and means for subsequently removing the layer of Wash, substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or Wash, the combination of a substantially vertical stationary vessel, means for externally heating the vessel, a revoluble distributer extending within said vessel for spreading a thin layer of the syrupous and plastic Wash upon the interior surfaces of the Walls of said vessel, means for revolving the distributer, and means for removing the layer of Wash, substantially as set forth.

4E. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or Wash, the combination of a conical stationary vessel placed on its vertical axis, and means for externally heating the vessel, a revoluble distribu ter extending Within said vessel for spreading a thin layer of the syrupous and plastic Wash upon the interior surfaces of the Walls of said vessel, means for revolving the distributer, and means for removing the layer of Wash, substantially as set forth.

5. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or Wash, the combination of a vessel placed on its vertical axis and means for externally heatingthe vessel, a revoluble distributer extending Within said vessel for spreading a thin layer of the syrupous and plastic Wash upon the interior surfaces of the lateral Walls of said vessel, means for revolving the distributer, and means foi-removing the layer of wash, substantially as set forth.

6. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or wash, the combination of a vessel placed on its vertical axis,

means for externally heating the lateral Walls, a distributer revoluble about a vertical axis extending Within said vessel for spreading a thin layer of the syrupous and plastic Wash upon the interior surfaces of the lateral walls of said vessel, means for revolving the distributer about its vertical axis, and means for removing the layer of wash, substantially as set forth.

7. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or Wash, the combination of a vessel placed on its vertical axis, means for heating the lateral Walls of said vessel, a distributer revoluble about a vertical axis extending Within said vessel, said dis-y tributer comprising a vertical shaft and spouts extending radially therefrom, with means for passing the syrupous and plastic Wash through the spouts to spread a thin layer of the same upon the interior of the lateral Walls of the vessel, means for revolving the distributer, and means for removing the layer of Wash, substantially as set forth.

8. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or Wash, the combination of a conical vessel having a vertical axis, means for heating the lateral walls of said vessel, a vertical distributer-shaft extending into the Vessel, radial spouts connected to the shaft, blades on the spouts, one of which is arranged against the Wall of the Vessel, while the other is slightly removed therefrom to a1- 10W a thin layer 0f the syrupous and plastic Wash to be spread over the lateral Walls of the vessel, means for revolving the vertical shaft and for passing the wash through the spouts, and means for removing said layer of Wash, substantially as set forth.

9. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or Wash, the combination of a conical vessel having a vertical axis, means for heating the lateral Walls of said vessel7 a vertical distributer-shaft extending intoV the vessel, radial spouts connected to the shaft, adjustable blades on the spouts, one of which is arranged in contact with the wall of the vessel, While the distance of the edge of the other from thesaid Wall may be varied,said other blade being arranged slightly removed from the walls to allow a thin layer of the syrupous and plastic wash to be spread on the lateral Walls of the vessel, means for revolving the vertical shaft, and for passing the Wash through the spouts, and means `for removing the layer of Wash, substantially as set forth. l

l0. In an apparatus for the treatmentof distillers spent residues or Wash, the combination of a conical vessel having a vertical axis, means for heating the lateral Walls of said vessel, a vertical distributer-shaft extending into the vessel, radial spouts connected to the shaft, adjustable blades on the spouts, one of which is adapted to be set in contact with the Wall of the vessel, While the other is set in close proximity to said Wall, for spreading a layer of the Wash thereon, Scrapers IOO IIC

f which is adapted to be in contact with the wall of the vessel, while the other is set in close proximity to said wall, for spreading a layer of the wash thereon Scrapers connected to the vertical shaft for removing the layer of wash, means for revolving the said vertical shaft, and means for passing the wash through said spouts, substantially as set forth.

l2. In an apparatus for the treatment of d istillers spent residues or wash, the combination of a conical vessel having a vertical axis, means for heating the lateral walls of said vessel, a vertical distribnter-shaft extending intoy the vessel, vertical plates connected to the shaft forming spouts, adjustable blades at the ends of the spouts, one of which is adapted to be set in contact with the wall of the vessel, While the other is setin close proximity to said wall, for spreading a thin layer of the wash thereon, Scrapers connected to the vertical shaft for removing the layer of wash, means for revolving said vertical shaft, and means for passing the wash through said sponts, substantially as set forth.

13. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or wash, the combination of a conical vessel having a vertical axis, means for heating the lateral walls of said vessel, a hollow vertical distributing-shaft extending `into the vessel, vertical radial spouts connecting with the interior of the shaft and extending substantially the height of the Vessel, adjustable blades on the spouts, means for revolving the shaft, and means for removing the layer of wash spread upon the interior of the vessel through the spouts, substantially as set forth.

14. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or wash, the combination of a conical vessel having a vertical axis, means for heating the lateral walls of said vessel from Without, a hollow vertical distributing-shaft extending into the vessel, vertical radial spouts connecting with the interior of the shaft and extending substantially the height of the vessel, adjustable blades on the spouts, means for revolving the shaft, means for removing the layer of wash spread upon the interior of the vessel through the spouts, and a cleaning-rod extending through the distributing-shaft and having arms adapted to clean the spaces between the blades on the spouts, substantially as set forth.

15. In an apparatus for the treatment of distillers spent residues or wash, the combination of a conical vessel having avertical axis, means for heating the lateral walls of said vessel, a vertically-adjustable hollow shaft passing through cooled stuffing-boxes and extending into said vessel, radial spouts on the shaft and connecting with the interior thereof, adjustable blades on the spouts, Scrapers connected to the shaft, lneans for revolving the shaft, and brushes adapted to revolve therewith for collecting the residue in the bottom of the vessel, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JEAN MICHEL JOSEPH THIERRY.

Witnesses:

J. ALLIsoN BOWEN, JORDAN DAVID STEWART. 

